A Stanford product expo for all things cool (photos)

R&D projects at the Cool Product Expo at Stanford University run the gamut, from transportation innovations to medical devices. But most have one thing in common: coolness--like the latest in Internet smell tech, for example!

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Smellevision!

STANFORD, Calif. -- Business students, startups, and campus researchers showed off their latest innovations yesterday at the Cool Product Expo at Stanford University. The R&D project topics ran the gamut, from transportation to medical devices. But most shared one thing in common: coolness.

Take, for example, Scent Sciences, which is adding another sense to your digital entertainment: smell.

Soon, your games, movies, Internet and TV might really start to stink. It's creators say that eventually, these little smell generators will be in cell phones, too. Instead of a custom ringtone, you might assign a smell to someone's call.

And in the not too distant future, the technology will be made into wireless clips for movie theaters. Go to the movies, and receive your 3D glasses along with your scent clip that will dispense the smells of the film.

Click on for more of the big ideas coming out of the Stanford Cool Product Expo.

Off-ear headphones

Aftershokz off-ear headphones use bone conduction technology to deliver your tunes right into your skull.
Besides just being very cool technology, the sport headphones are super safe due to the fact they don't shut you out from the world. While listening to music, you can still hear the world around you, like cars and people talking.

RoTrike crossover wheelchair

The RoTrike is a crossover wheelchair that's human powered and designed for ergonomics, efficiency, and mobility. Using arm push and pull movements, the RoTrike converts reciprocal linear motion into unidirectional rotary output.

Cubify 3D printer

The Cubify 3D printer is a wireless device that brings digital models to the real world. It can print just about anything you want in its 5.5 inches x 5.5 inches x5.5 inches area. Take a look at 25 free designs that come with Cubify.

Connected automated external defibrillators

Automated external defibrillators, or AEDs, are portable defibrillators, an increasingly important tool for delivering immediate medical attention in public places.

The Beacon is a connected AED that is breaking down the primary barrier to wider availability of these life saving units: maintenance.

Current laws require these systems to be checked regularly to ensure they are active and working properly, requiring a lot of man hours. The wireless Beacon system enables automatic completion of these mandatory checks, reducing labor costs and improving accuracy and accountability.

Add GPS tracking and integrated fire, EMS and 911 dispatch, and these tiny units are compact emergency response units just about anyone can use.

Better product placement

Fuisz Media wants to make product placement in video better. Its process creates hyperlinked objects in video, which allows a viewer to click on products, such as shirts or necklaces, and get more information and a point of purchase.

The algorithm even identifies actors in film and links out to their IMDB.com profiles.

Local Motion's social wheels

Local Motion's connected electric vehicle is a street legal, networked smart car that its builders say is made to be owned by places, not people. A shared model for local use, the Local Motion vehicles sense and interact with their surroundings, aiming to make every trip and efficient and fruitful as possible.

Kix Friction balls

Kix Friction balls are training balls that are covered in tiny fins, making the ball intentionally sluggish. On pavement, the fins make the ball stop fast, not continue rolling, as if it is rolling in thick grass. Through the air, increased resistance cuts in flying distance in half.